In an old renovated stone silo, set atop a granite shelf overlooking a gravel pit, ropes hang from the walls. Attached to them are student climbers, including Dieter and Mark Leighton, two teens under the watchful eye of Mia, who has brought young Brian along with her. Bad weather moves in, bringing with it more than lightning, rain, and wind. Three things travel in lightning storms: they are Wanderers, dark wizards, and demons. Two of the three are headed for the silo. Can a very pregnant Mia protect the people trapped within? Will Ted, Cid, and Murphy arrive in time to save them?

In Chicago, beyond the velvet rope stands The Eighty-eight, a piano bar owned by Ralph’s friend Dash. He has requested PEEPs help in discovering who is haunting his new bar. So far, a few Irish ghosts have made their presence known, and the only casualties are a few broken bottles of alcohol. Upon PEEPs’ arrival, an entity of unknown origin is discovered. It brings with it a wave of grief so strong that it cannot be ignored. What is this Dark Watcher, and why is it there? Trouble comes in threes, and the supernatural aren’t the only threat for The Eighty-eight and PEEPs. Can they get to the heart of the matter before all is lost?

Meanwhile in Big Bear Lake, the unimaginable has happened. Someone has ghost-napped Edwin, the beloved ghost of the Gifford house, and Bea White, the new owner, wants him back. Tom Braverman steps in to lead the investigation. He hopes that, given enough rope, the kidnappers will reveal themselves, and Edwin will be rescued. But things are never as simple as they seem, and like the nature of rope, the investigation is twisted and full of knots.